Salem 61. Hidden Valley 3

[southbottomU]

Hidden Valley couldn't put up much of a fight. Salem improving. Lewis with another kick off return.
Salem at PH next week. PH capable.

 

[1MoreHokie]

They tried so very hard not to kick it to Lewis and then they were forced to once and that was all she wrote. He ran very hard this game to boot, feel like he's improved a good deal in that category as the year has progressed, this was his best effort yet imo.

He's such an insane weapon on special teams not just because of his ability to run (I think we're up to 3 PR and 2 KR TDs) but because everyone is scared to death of kicking it to him so while attempting to keep it away it leads to a lot of bad punts and kickoffs which gives Salem excellent field position pretty much every time. Sometimes you get these kinds of returners in college but collegiate punters and kickers know how to angle the ball properly or just kick a touchback so you can nullify a good returner a lot of the times but you can't ask the same of high schoolers for the most part and it becomes such a liability when you face an elite returner.

 

[BleedingNavy]

PH? Not happening. Salem is playing like Salem! You guys are riding a 8 game winning streak. Yes, you lost one and uncharacteristically had two close games. Region D finals for sure!

 

[southbottomU]

PH? Not happening. Salem is playing like Salem! You guys are riding a 8 game winning streak. Yes, you lost one and uncharacteristically had two close games. Region D finals for sure!

There is a difference between that early Salem team and this one. Biggest difference Peyton Lewis. He did not play in Martinsburg game and limited against Franklin County. Christiansburg was played in hurricane. Neither team could pass or punt. Game should not have been played. Heavy rain and 40 mph winds.

 

[RKE Fan]

They tried so very hard not to kick it to Lewis and then they were forced to once and that was all she wrote. He ran very hard this game to boot, feel like he's improved a good deal in that category as the year has progressed, this was his best effort yet imo.

He's such an insane weapon on special teams not just because of his ability to run (I think we're up to 3 PR and 2 KR TDs) but because everyone is scared to death of kicking it to him so while attempting to keep it away it leads to a lot of bad punts and kickoffs which gives Salem excellent field position pretty much every time. Sometimes you get these kinds of returners in college but collegiate punters and kickers know how to angle the ball properly or just kick a touchback so you can nullify a good returner a lot of the times but you can't ask the same of high schoolers for the most part and it becomes such a liability when you face an elite returner.

Lewis has definitely improved into a huge weapon in almost all aspects of the game. Early in the season he seemed a little rough around the edges. At times, he failed to let his blocks set up and relied almost totally on his speed. That still resulted in some big runs and td's, but also meant quite a few missed opportunities. I felt like it showed that he had missed the better part of his freshman and sophomore years to injury. However, he has totally erased any doubt I had that he would be an elite player. He has added a power component and as you said, is running much harder than those early games. His field vision is much better. He's also reading his blocks and has reached a point where his absence to injury is no longer noticeable. You can tell that he's just itching to show any team his skill set on returns. The kickoff return against PC, he just let three PC guys converge on him before he split the gap and accelerated which caused all three to run into each other as he scooted 90 yards for the score.

 

[matthew328826]

Can anyone confirm if this score was 55-3 or 61-3?

In the grand scheme, know it may not seem important... but for our record keeping, I'd like for it to be accurate. I've seen both results reported.

Thanks!

 

[mike salem]

Can anyone confirm if this score was 55-3 or 61-3?

In the grand scheme, know it may not seem important... but for our record keeping, I'd like for it to be accurate. I've seen both results reported.

Thanks!

61-3

 

[matthew328826]

61-3

Thanks Mike!

 

[Kilroy25]

Against Franklin Coming Salem hadn’t figured out their identity yet. There’s been several changes, not just having Lewis. Lewis played a majority of the FC game. The offense is more diverse. Early on it seemed like all Salem tried to do was run Trap and off tackle. Salems O-line just isn’t up for that task. They are passing the ball quite a bit now and running sweeps. The defense is much better since #7 is back at Mike and Cole at Sam. The end play is much improved with the changes made there. Moving up Persinger to corner all has helped.